April 14

[Imidinho]

Stay positive and Never Give up

I failed CA1 2 times before eventually passing it on my third attempt.

 

[ryan11]

I had the great misfortune of failing CA1 this sitting as well (first time failing an exam / CA1), so was mortified!

Fortunately I know where I went wrong in the exam. Extremely poor time management for one of the papers led me to rushing wishy-washy answers.

Having to resit this monster exam makes me also feel sick to the stomach! Just having to revise ALL 50 odd chapters + question practise again. Also planning to sit with an ST in Sept which makes it extremely time pressured!

If the grade is good (FA, FB) then you can say you know where it "probably" went wrong.
In my case, time management was alright, never rushed any answers, nor left anything unsatisfactorily unaswered/underasnwered, so I am confused where I went wrong.

 

[ryan11]

I failed CA1 2 times before eventually passing it on my third attempt.

I know I should be positive, but this FC is just too much humiliation to swallow.

 

[Geraldine]

Thanks Goku - That's a great idea - just go through the core - will cut out a large chunk

I have the revision booklets so I'll actively attempt the past questions this time round but also read through the core reading they place at the beginning

And to think there is just over 2 months left till exams Need to start this weekend!

Ryan11, I really feel your pain. It seems impossible that you can know the notes THIS well, regurgitate lists, understand how key words should make you tailor your answer and what these keys words are. I get the feeling that whilst I knew all of this I probably wasn't as good at tailoring and providing examples that would have matched the marking schedule's line of thought as I thought. I think we both need to get marking done at least twice and just keep practising till we are a shade not short of royal-blue in the face! Good luck...

And as Imidinho says (thanks by the way) "stay positive"

 

[Imidinho]

I also had FC on my first attempt.

Don't give up because "every dog has his day".

 

[Knowslian]

If the grade is good (FA, FB) then you can say you know where it "probably" went wrong.
In my case, time management was alright, never rushed any answers, nor left anything unsatisfactorily unaswered/underasnwered, so I am confused where I went wrong.

That's a fair point. Just hope I can get enough revised from now to CA1 day + my ST alongside it. Possible?

The most generic answer that can be given is "you weren't wide" enough in your answers or "didn't tailor" to the question.

 

[Missannuity]

I thankfully managed to pass this time, on the second attempt. I'd agree with what previous posters have said - concentrate on getting lots of points across rather than focusing on only a few points. You might go into too much detail that won't get any extra marks.

I also found getting mock exams marked was a real help - even if I didn't do particularly well in them, it made me actually do a paper from start to finish, and getting comments from the marker on how to improve is definitely helpful.

 

[ryan11]

I was wondering if people who have benefitted from exam counselling can come forward to advise its merits.

I am still trying to figure out the hardest part after a fail, thats is to find out where I went wrong, all of those who have failed will agree that a candidate analysing their own failure are really blind to what went wrong with their preparation, so I was wondering if Exam counselling will help me.

Note, I didnt do QnA bank, Assignments and enough past papers last time, so if the exam counselling will boil down to these recommendations (which I am anyways going to do this time), I am better off to save that money and put it to better use like a tutorial or mocks + marking etc.

veterans and beneficiaries of the Counselling (particualrly CA1 counselling) pls advise me.

 

[ryan11]

Thanks Goku - That's a great idea - just go through the core - will cut out a large chunk

I have the revision booklets so I'll actively attempt the past questions this time round but also read through the core reading they place at the beginning

And to think there is just over 2 months left till exams Need to start this weekend!

Ryan11, I really feel your pain. It seems impossible that you can know the notes THIS well, regurgitate lists, understand how key words should make you tailor your answer and what these keys words are. I get the feeling that whilst I knew all of this I probably wasn't as good at tailoring and providing examples that would have matched the marking schedule's line of thought as I thought. I think we both need to get marking done at least twice and just keep practising till we are a shade not short of royal-blue in the face! Good luck...

And as Imidinho says (thanks by the way) "stay positive"

Hey Geraldine, have you used the assignments marking earlier, are they really beneficial? I am debating between a online classroom tutorial vs assignments marking, I can avail only one of the two.

Do we get the solutions of the Series x assignment in the CMP pack? or have to buy it seperately along with the marking vouchers.

 

[jfitz]

CA1 tips

Delighted to have passed this time after FC last time...

Here's my two cents:

1) Read the course notes through first time but then use the flashcards from then on as they highlight the key concepts etc and aren't absurdly long. I was never keen on reading much on the bus/train etc but these are small enough for revising on the way to work to be reasonably convenient (especially the eFlashcards which fit neatly onto the screen of most smartphones).

2) Go on tutorials (huge thanks to Lynn Birchall who was a great tutor!) as these really help with style/content of answers and with highlighting which parts of the course are more or less likely to crop up in exams.

3) Do a mock in exam conditions and have it marked by AcTed. Fairly obvious I guess but we all lie to ourselves about how well we're doing etc. and we probably all make recurring errors that we might not be aware of e.g. only answering the first part of 'do A and B' questions.

4) Be patient and don't be too hard on yourself. This is a tough one but I think CA1 is the first exam I've ever sat where I've felt like a slice of luck is needed as well as full preparation. I'd have in mind that it even if you know your stuff you might end up needing 2 or 3 attempts to pass.

 

[ryan11]

Delighted to have passed this time after FC last time...

Here's my two cents:

1) Read the course notes through first time but then use the flashcards from then on as they highlight the key concepts etc and aren't absurdly long. I was never keen on reading much on the bus/train etc but these are small enough for revising on the way to work to be reasonably convenient (especially the eFlashcards which fit neatly onto the screen of most smartphones).

2) Go on tutorials (huge thanks to Lynn Birchall who was a great tutor!) as these really help with style/content of answers and with highlighting which parts of the course are more or less likely to crop up in exams.

3) Do a mock in exam conditions and have it marked by AcTed. Fairly obvious I guess but we all lie to ourselves about how well we're doing etc. and we probably all make recurring errors that we might not be aware of e.g. only answering the first part of 'do A and B' questions.

4) Be patient and don't be too hard on yourself. This is a tough one but I think CA1 is the first exam I've ever sat where I've felt like a slice of luck is needed as well as full preparation. I'd have in mind that it even if you know your stuff you might end up needing 2 or 3 attempts to pass.

Thanks jifiz, I am going to get series markings and probably the Mock exam, but I dont have either the resources or the time to get a tutorial done, I am not in the UK.

Do you feel I am going to be at a big disadvantage for not taking a tutorial.

 

[ChasingAces]

Hi ryan11,

Figured I'd throw my own 2 cents in as well... I passed CA1 on my first attempt in September 2013...

My method included the following:
- going through all the course notes and creating my own notes from these (basically a word doc of chapter summaries & key info - this ended up being about 90 pages in word for all 49 chapters).
- while going through the course notes for the first time I used the Q&A bank to test my understanding and start practicing answering questions.
- after this I used the X assignments for further practice and also went through some of the relevant questions from the 300 series exams
- all past exam papers from 2005 onwards. This was absolutely the most important part for me. I think practicing answering exam questions is a must for CA1. I tried to do as many of these papers under exam conditions as I could (at least the 4 or so most recent papers). I used the examiners reports and ASET to correct the papers myself and supplemented my word doc with any additional info I came across.
- learning off all bookwork, lists etc
- I also used the flashcards for revision along with my own notes

I don't think a tutorial is necessary, I didn't go to one although I did get the online classroom but to be honest I don't find it all that helpful.

I also didn't avail of marking from ActEd, instead marking my attempts myself. However it is difficult to do this objectively. As you've indicated that you're unsure where you went wrong in your previous attempts I think marking would probably be helpful to you.

As you can probably see from the above for me question practice was critical. You've said before that you weren't able to do enough of this practice last time - I really think this will be vital for you and it will help you to learn how to answer questions! You'll probably notice going through past papers that many of the same questions come up again and again, just presented slightly differently or that the answers to questions tend to cover the same general themes.

Sorry for the wall of text! Best of luck with your study

 

[ryan11]

Hi ryan11,

Figured I'd throw my own 2 cents in as well... I passed CA1 on my first attempt in September 2013...

My method included the following:
- going through all the course notes and creating my own notes from these (basically a word doc of chapter summaries & key info - this ended up being about 90 pages in word for all 49 chapters).
- while going through the course notes for the first time I used the Q&A bank to test my understanding and start practicing answering questions.
- after this I used the X assignments for further practice and also went through some of the relevant questions from the 300 series exams
- all past exam papers from 2005 onwards. This was absolutely the most important part for me. I think practicing answering exam questions is a must for CA1. I tried to do as many of these papers under exam conditions as I could (at least the 4 or so most recent papers). I used the examiners reports and ASET to correct the papers myself and supplemented my word doc with any additional info I came across.
- learning off all bookwork, lists etc
- I also used the flashcards for revision along with my own notes

I don't think a tutorial is necessary, I didn't go to one although I did get the online classroom but to be honest I don't find it all that helpful.

I also didn't avail of marking from ActEd, instead marking my attempts myself. However it is difficult to do this objectively. As you've indicated that you're unsure where you went wrong in your previous attempts I think marking would probably be helpful to you.

As you can probably see from the above for me question practice was critical. You've said before that you weren't able to do enough of this practice last time - I really think this will be vital for you and it will help you to learn how to answer questions! You'll probably notice going through past papers that many of the same questions come up again and again, just presented slightly differently or that the answers to questions tend to cover the same general themes.

Sorry for the wall of text! Best of luck with your study

ChasingAces, I cant be more grateful to you for the wall of text, I really need all the suggestions from personal experiences of Ca1, I really got no time (due to my ultra busy job) last time to go through the past exam or any sort of question.

Hopefully this time it should be better practice wise, but there is paucity of time in the september diet. Running against time, trying to optimise the most essential things that I should cover.

 

[jfitz]

Thanks jifiz, I am going to get series markings and probably the Mock exam, but I dont have either the resources or the time to get a tutorial done, I am not in the UK.

Do you feel I am going to be at a big disadvantage for not taking a tutorial.

ryan11,

Would an online tutorial be possible?

Or perhaps one of the new 'exam-skills' sessions... http://www.acted.co.uk/Html/tutorials_webinars.htm

Even if neither of the above is an option then I wouldn't sweat it too much. The key for me was building an understanding of the style of answer required to pass but tutorials aren't the only way to do this (as ChasingAces has demonstrated).